


And we were young

by lee_likes



Category: Marvel
Genre: High School AU, M/M, Major Character Resurrection, Major character death - Freeform, Modern AU, Slow Burn, THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED, shared body heat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21845851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lee_likes/pseuds/lee_likes
Summary: Earth and Titan have formed an alliance and as the ambassador of Titan, Alars, has decided to put his sons Eros and Thanos into Earth school as a show of good faith.Thanos is highly against this but has no say in it, but his dull life is suddenly turned upside down when a mysterious boy moves into town.
Relationships: Thanos/Adam Warlock
Comments: 11
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is honestly super self indulgent and silly and i'm loving every minute of it.

Thanos was bored.

The teacher in front of the class was droning on about things he had learned and mastered years ago, it was a common discussion with his father now how it was needless for him to attend earth school but his father kept insisting on “Earth-Titan relations” and how it was a sign of solidarity to keep the sons of Titan's ambassador and ruler among the youth of Earth.

When Titan had decided earth to be advanced enough to be included in the galactic order and after the first contact had been made, the people of earth had naturally been very shocked and scared but after the revelation and after seeing the peaceful nature of the Titans, the work to establish an alliance between the two worlds had slowly started to become reality. And as a sign of good faith Mentor Alars and his wife Sui-San, the wise rulers of Titan, had agreed upon putting their sons to earth school.

For Eros it had been easy. He had fit in straight away and was very popular with the Earth children from the start, his grades were average and he had little interest in academic achievements and was rather more focused on the social side of things and Alars could not have been prouder. He often remarked how Eros had a gift for diplomatic ways and how it was perfect for their purpose of showing solidarity to humans and creating peaceful relations between the two worlds.

For Thanos it had been a nightmare from the start. He had never been outright bullied which he figured had been due to his monstrous appearance. When he was born his skin had been thick and purple and his chin wide and ridged, he was always a head taller than the tallest kids in his class and he was very sturdy which added to his already threatening looks. But what people found to be most unsettling were his black, bottomless eyes that flashed with red whenever he was about to lose his temper - which was rather often.

He was regarded as a difficult child. Even though he was highly intelligent and always mile ahead of the other children in the class he was very disruptive, he had no trouble interrupting the class with his remarks and correcting the teachers whenever they were wrong. He wasn't outright hostile towards the other children, but he definitely did not enjoy their company which made any type of group work almost impossible. The other children learned fast to keep their distance and act very respectfully around Thanos. All in all he was the exact opposite of Eros.

The older he got and the more difficult his attitude became, the more he had started to butt heads with his father. Their arguments had grown to be rather loud and the rift between them just kept growing and even though Alars was very worried about his son and only wanted him to be happy, Thanos' stubborn nature made any attempts at reconciliation nearly impossible.

Thankfully his mother had always been patient and gentle enough to be able to get through to Thanos, she always sat with him when he was upset and managed to calm him down and make him feel better in the turbulent times of his younger years. The worse Thanos' relationship with his father had grown, the closer he had become with his mother.

Thanos sat back on his chair and stretched his arms way above his head and tilted his head to the left. He was not paying any attention to the class, like he rarely did, and was now looking at the person sitting next to him. Looking at the people in the room she surely stood out, she had a very pale complexion with dark makeup around the eyes as well as black lipstick to accentuate the porcelain skin, her hair was a long and wavy, coming down past her shoulders. The clothing was very dark and loose, almost robe like and the posture was that of a royalty.

Morticia.

The other students called her 'Death' behind her back and for Thanos that had become a term of endearment. She was the only one who had shown any kindness to Thanos when he had entered earth school, the only one who didn't seem to be taken aback by his looks or his stature. Even though Morticia never did talk much, her company was always soothing and the high points of Thanos' days were when he managed to get a word out of her. 

He looked at her fondly, a content smile playing on his lips and the whole world just disappearing for a moment.

He was only roused from his thoughts when the bell rang and as the students got up he followed Morticia out of the classroom, seeing a small smile quirk the corner of her mouth up and it made Thanos's heart swell. 

They had no trouble walking down the corridors, wherever Thanos went the crowd always parted in front of him. His temper was well known and no one dared to get on the bad side of the 'Mad Titan' so he was given a wide berth out of respect and fear. It all suited Thanos well. He had no interest in them, or their companionship, he had Morticia after all.

When they entered the next class room Thanos sat down next to Morticia with a long groan. It was only the second class of the day and Thanos already felt like leaving. It was also a class lead by professor Xavier, one of the only teachers who had no trouble standing up to Thanos and who actually managed to handle Thanos in a way where he behaved during the classes. He was also kind enough to give Thanos enough leeway so he wouldn't have to put so much effort into being present during the classes seeing how he was already proficient in the subject and was mostly bored anyway.

After all of the students had sat down, there were two boys left standing in the front Thanos did not recognise. The other one was tall and his face was marred with scars that Thanos deduced were from a fire of some sort, the boy next to him was of average height and very willowy, with short, flaxen hair and huge green eyes.

“I would like to introduce you to two new students today,” professor Xavier spoke up and the class effectively fell silent, “Misters Wade Wilson and Adam Wyndham will be joining us from here on and I hope all of you will show how welcoming and friendly we are here. Please take a seat where you can.”

Both of the boys walked to empty tables, Wade to the one in front of Morticia and Adam to the left of Thanos. Thanos was entirely uninterested in them so he just stretched his hands behind his head, raised his eyes to the ceiling and took a comfortable position on the chair and tuned out the class as professor Xavier started talking. He spent the rest of the time like that, deep in thought, not paying attention to his surroundings and was only roused when Xavier called for him.

“Mr Thanos, is there any chance I could draw your attention to the matter at hand?”

The whole class made an effort not to look at him unlike professor Xavier who had no trouble staring him down. Thanos had quite a lot of respect for the man because of that, not that he would ever admit it out loud.

Straightening his back and sitting up Thanos just grunted in reply and focused on the professor.

“As I have told you all before this course involves a group assignment that will determine 50% of your final grade, today we will divide you to pairs and decide on the subject for your research.”

Thanos instinctively turned to Morticia and he felt a sudden coldness in his chest when he saw her grinning at Wade Wilson who had turned around in his chair and was now in the middle of some story where he was trying to talk as quietly as possible, but was still gesturing wildly with his hands. When Morticia actually smiled Thanos felt his heart drop and suddenly it was hard to breathe. He watched as Morticia leaned closer to Wade and whispered something in his ear and there was a cold terror suddenly restricting his throat.

“If you would be so kind and come to the front once you're done selecting your pair and tell me your subject and the rest of the class you can spend researching in the library.”

Thanos watched as Morticia and Wade got up at the same time and held his breath when Morticia approached him and whispered a simple 'sorry' in his ear and walked to the front of the class with Wade. The only thing he could do was stare after them.

He hadn't noticed the classroom emptying as people picked their friends and topics and headed to the library to start on their assignments. 

“Do you have a partner yet Mr. Thanos?” Xavier called from the front of the class when he was the only one still sitting down.

“I will be happy to do this assignment on my own, professor,” he said simply and grabbed his backpack, heading for the door.

“But you won't, mister Wyndham here is without a partner as well and you two will be working together.”

Thanos turned back to look at the professor and the thin boy standing next to him, looking very nonchalant as if the presence of the monstrous son of Titan was nothing to him. Thanos felt annoyed. He was about to open his mouth but didn't have time to say anything when professor Xavier spoke up.

“This matter is not up for debate, you will be working with mister Wyndham and you will return your work at the deadline like everyone else. You are dismissed.” 

Thanos was fuming but he knew arguing would do him no good and the old coot would not change his mind, so he just ended up grunting a 'fine' and hurrying out of the class room, leaving Adam and the professor behind.

He was ready to storm down the hallway when he felt a hand on his arm and Adam's quiet voice next to him.

“I don't care if you have a problem with this arrangement, we will go down to the library and get working on our assignment.”

Thanos was so surprised he couldn't say anything for a while. There was no one who would have dared to touch him so casually or talk to him in such a demanding tone apart from his family and professor Xavier.

“I will have the assignment done by the end of this week, you are lucky I am in an amiable mood, it will give you the perfect grade and all you need to do is add your name,” Thanos's tone was derisive and he yanked his arm away and started walking down the corridor but didn't get far when Adam was in front of him, blocking his way.

In addition to Thanos's already threatening looks he also liked to dress in a manner that enhanced the effect and made people even more uncomfortable around him. He was dressed in black jeans that had been ripped all the way down in the front as well as a black leather jacket that was filled with studs and spikes, his face was full of piercings and his eyeliner thick and black. Many people only took one look at him and then averted their gaze. Not Adam though.

He was head and a half shorter than Thanos but was looking up at him defiantly with his brows furrowed. When Thanos stepped forward to loom over him Adam did not even flinch. 

Thanos found himself to be greatly unsettled by this. He was used to having his way by scaring anyone who chose to oppose him but this boy was standing in front of him non-compliantly, refusing to move. 

Curious.

“I will not be carried through anything, I will do my share of the work and you will co-operate. We will be going to the library and start so we can be done with this as fast as we can,” He grabbed Thanos by the arm and started walking towards the end of the hall but he couldn't budge the bigger boy.

There was a smile now playing on Thanos's lips. This was interesting.

“Fine, I will play along.”

Their encounter had started to garner some attention from the other students and they were now spread among the hallway, trying to look like they were not watching. Thanos could feel their eyes on his back as he walked away with Adam in his tow.

The library was huge and airy, the windows were as high as the ceiling and the whole hall was well lit, there were tables in a long row disappearing into the distance among the tall bookshelves. It was the biggest library in town and there was very little you couldn't find in there. On earth's standards anyway.

Thanos led them through the rows of tables, completely ignoring the other students and heading to a small table that was hidden between shelves. He plopped down on the chair very unceremoniously and lifted his feet on the table and crossed his arms defiantly. Adam passed him and pushed his feet down as he went, not even batting an eye.

Thanos did not have time to react when Adam already spoke up.

“Due to changing schools I'm a bit behind on the subject so I need to read up on it first to get the grasp of it. After that we can get on with outlining the structure of the assignment and then we can start writing it out.”

There was a brief silence when they just looked at each other.

“I have the thing finished yet still you insist on working on it together,” Thanos said gingerly.

He swore he could see a small grin.

“I believe you might need a lesson in social skills.”

With temper flaring and his eyes flashing red Thanos rose up from his chair and leaned over with his hands planted on the table.

“Watch your words with me, boy, you do not want to end up on my bad side.”

He felt infuriated when Adam just leaned closer to him, “It seems like you could learn some humility as well.”

Thanos pushed back to scrape the chair along the floor, making students everywhere jump at the sudden loud noise in the otherwise quiet library and when Thanos stormed towards the entrance they jumped out of the way in fright.

“I expect to see you here tomorrow at four,” Adam called behind him and was not surprised to not get an answer.

Tomorrow at half past four Thanos slammed down his bookbag on the table they had been sitting on yesterday and sat down.

“I read upon the subject and collected all the material I found useful and printed out articles I found to be relevant.”

He slid his notes across the table to Thanos who sneered and defiantly grabbed the papers to flip through them.

“Wrong, wrong, useless, wrong and the last argument is highly speculative with no basis on facts,” Thanos slid the notes back and rested back on his chair and waited for the arguments to come in.

He was surprised when there were none.

“What were the mistakes I made?”

Thanos stared at Adam for a while, he did not remember an instance when people were ready to admit their mistakes without getting even a little bit defensive. With and exasperated sigh he rose up to walk around the table and pulled up a chair to sit next to Adam.

“Your first mistake was trusting the information in decade old books and websites with no proper sourcing. Even our current books are riddled with erroneous information that has been proven outdated,” Thanos smiled nastily, “No surprise there since the books have been written by humans.”

Surprisingly Adam did not get offended by this remark and just let out a snort.

What a curious case he was.

For the next three hours they worked together mostly peacefully, only prone to argue when Thanos let either his pride or temper run unchecked.

At the end he was impressed to learn what a quick study Adam was. After only a few hours he had a basic understanding of the ideas and theories of the subject and was presenting his own thoughts and notions that were mostly not wrong. Of course since Thanos knew all of this he felt more like a teacher than a partner.

When they gathered their belongings to leave Adam rose up and turned to Thanos.

“I'll check out the sites you gave me and note down the parts that might be useful to us. Tomorrow at four?”

Thanos grunted in agreement and got up himself, walking to the entrance with Adam close behind him and pointedly didn't hold the door open. Adam just sighed in defeat.

When Thanos went to bed that night he didn't admit to himself how he was looking forward to tomorrow. Seeing Morticia with that new student clawed at his heart, but for the brief moment he was instructing Adam he could forget all about it and he was thankful for that.

Thanos always found the classes to be dull and they always seemed to go on forever, he mostly spent them either not paying attention or, when he felt like it, quipping and correcting the teachers. He was not very popular with the faculty and some teachers were even anxious teaching a class with Thanos in it.

There also wasn't too much to be done about it since he was the monstrous son of the Titan Ambassador, great mentor Alars, and all the teachers felt apprehensive about disciplining the son of such a high profile person. Not to mention he always got the highest grades and his A.P classes pushed his GPA above 5.0 and, according to the principle, they could overlook 'minor behavioral issues'.

But ever since Adam joined their classes there had been a slight change.

The first class they had together had started with the teacher asking the students to divide themselves into groups or pairs.

Thanos's first instinct was to move over to Morticia but when he turned to see Wade already sitting next to her he forced bile down his throat and sat back on his chair, staring down the teacher, daring her to say something.

Thanos didn't manage to hide his surprise when Adam pulled up a chair and sat across from him on the small desk.

Neither of them said anything and Adam turned to the teacher to get the instructions while Thanos pretended he was not glancing behind him at Wade and Morticia and gnawing his teeth in anger. He wasn't doing a very good job.

Roused from his brooding by a sharp knock of pencil against wood, Thanos turned around to shoot a glare at Adam.

“Do you think you can focus on our assignment or will it be too much of a strain on your neck?”

Thanos actually growled at that and Adam almost let out a laugh.

It was difficult for Thanos to focus for the rest of the class. The sadness weighed heavy on his heart and he had to struggle to keep the jealous rage at bay.

Morticia had been the one constant in his life that didn't make him feel miserable and now there was a gnawed hole in his heart, growing whenever he saw Wade. Even though Morticia still tried to make contact and talk to Thanos he just turned away, not being able to look her in the face.

All this brooding meant Thanos wasn't really helping Adam with their work, just grunted absent-mindedly every now and then.

Adam didn't comment on it and Thanos was thankful for that.

The moment the class was over Thanos shot up and walked out the door before Adam could say a word. At least he didn't have to see Wade and Morticia walk out hand in hand.

Thanos didn't show up for the next class or the one after that, nor for their library study session. Adam wasn't surprised so he was prepared to work on his own. As much as he tried to focus his mind kept wandering back to Thanos and his reaction to Morticia and Wade. What he had heard from the other students he had deduced Thanos did indeed have a crush on Morticia, but he hadn't realised the depth of it. 

Even though they had only known each other for a few days, and their introduction had been anything but smooth, Adam still felt compassion for Thanos.

At first he really had thought Thanos' feelings for Morticia had been just superficial crush and his broody reaction nothing but hormonal melodrama, but looking at it now Adam had started to see the bigger picture.

It was obvious how the other students were clearly scared of the rough looking teen and how they went out of their way to avoid him. It became really obvious early on that Thanos didn't have any friends. In fact what he could gather from between the lines was was that Morticia had been the only one to spent time with him.

Adam wasn't sure about his family life even though he was aware of Thanos' father and his stature. Without Morticia he seemed to have no one.

Trying his best to finish what he could and leaving the rest for Thanos to go over, he packed his belongings and returned the books to their respective shelves.

The worst part was how he wasn't sure if he could approach the subject at all without setting Thanos off.

Adam didn't see Thanos at all for the next two days. He was not the worst student by any means and could definitely hold his own but he had come to find Thanos's corrections and explanations very helpful. That's why he was relieved when he saw Thanos already sitting in the library when he got there after classes.

His stare was defiant but he had a stack of notes in front of him which he handed to Adam the moment he sat down.

“I haven't slacked off.”

“Weren't you the one to have this whole thing already finished?” Adam asked with a slight smile.

“I figured I'd go at your pace,” Thanos answered simply. 

Adam accepted this answer and dug out his own notes, sliding next to Thanos and showing them to him.

“I have been researching on this hypothesis but what I find online and what I find in the books is very contradictory,” Adam pointed at the underlined parts and Thanos quickly took over correcting Adam's mistakes.

There was still a few weeks to finish their assignment but they had gathered pretty much all the material they needed and the only thing left for them was to put it all together in a coherent manner.

Adam was equal parts pleased about their teamwork and the effort they put in, both in their own way, but he also felt a bit dejected about knowing he would miss working together.

It's not that Adam had trouble making friends, he was already getting to know many of his new classmates and liking them quite a fair bit, but somehow he felt more connected to Thanos, to his sadness and apparent loneliness.

His approximation to Thanos seemed to scare away some of the new friends he had made and Adam kept wondering if, perhaps, there was more to this than he could see.

For the first time since they started working together they left the library and the school together, the subject of their discussion had branched off to other topics and Adam found himself enjoying the banter that had started to feel more friendly than anything else.

They walked out of the school gates, side by side, drawing quite a few curious glances that were immediately shut down by Thanos's toothy sneer.

“Where do you live?” Thanos asked.

“Just off the main street and towards the beach.”

Thanos just grunted in reply as he headed for the parking lot and what seemed to be a heavily modded dirt bike.

“Need a ride?” he asked as he hopped on it and grabbed the helmet that was hanging from the handle bar.

“No thank you, it's not a long walk,” Adam answered, slightly taken aback by the offer.

Thanos just hummed in reply as he put the helmet on and revved the bike.

“I'll see you tomorrow,” Adam offered before Thanos kicked the bike into gear and headed out of the parking lot.

Adam's step was light as he headed down the street and back home, Thanos' offer still playing in his head.

The forest was quiet and pale moonlight peeked through the clouds lighting Thanos’ way. The clouds also meant the stars were hiding that night which made him gaze longingly at the sky, feeling the heavy melancholy in his heart, longing for the connection to the cosmos the stars made him feel. He had parked his bike at the edge of the forest and was now heading for the lake hidden deep within, somewhere he found himself often when he needed to get away from it all.

There was a quiet shuffle under his feet as he waded through the undergrowth. It had been raining that day and his sneakers were getting damp and cold, but small things like that did not faze him. He continued on, moving the occasional branch from his way and quietly humming to himself, enjoying the absolute solitude the night and the forest gave him.

He arrived at the lake few minutes later and headed straight for the the small cliff that overlooked the calm water. It was his habit to sit there, enjoying the privacy and silence, gazing at the sky, dreaming of the day he could leave earth behind and head to the stars – where here he belonged.

His arguments with his father had gotten more and more heated and Thanos found himself snarling at just the thought of him. Alars had never understood the difference the deviant gene had made in Thanos’s life, the way it set him apart from everyone else from the moment he was born and how it had made him an outcast, first among the Titans and now among the people from Earth. He drew his knees up to his chest, wrapped his arms around his legs and laid his head on them.

He was deep in thought when he heard the sound of someone walking on the gravel behind him. Quickly snapping his head back he saw a figure approaching with a hood drawn, walking confidently towards him, stride long.

“You would be wise to leave,” Thanos snapped and turned his head back to the lake.

When the figure reached his side he sat down and lowered his hood.

“Adam?” Thanos said in disbelief and then his brow furrowed, “Are you following me?”

Adam snorted, “You think too highly of yourself,” he mimicked Thanos position with his knees drawn to his chest and looked down at the lake, “I heard this is a calm and quiet place to come be by yourself.”

“I can direct you to ten other calm and quiet places where you can be by yourself,” Thanos said annoyed, “This one is mine.”

Adam raised his hand on his forehead and looked around dramatically, “Funny, I don’t see your name anywhere.”

Thanos scoffed, “You’re hardly alone right now.”

“No,” Adam answered looking up at the sky and was silent for a moment, “But I can be alone with you,” He continued in a very quiet voice, quiet enough for Thanos to almost miss it.

They both just sat there, staring up at the sky, letting the stars peer at them from between the clouds.

“Do you miss it?” Adam asked after a while, “Titan, I mean,” he continued.

“We visit there all the time,” Thanos answered, not taking his eyes off the sky.

“I guess what I meant to ask is do you hate it here on Earth?”

“Yes,” Thanos answered honestly after a moment, his voice strangled.

“Are you gonna move back to Titan when you graduate?”

“No,” Thanos said, voice steady, “There is no power in the universe that can make me go back there.”

Adam looked surprised at that, “But you’re not going to stay on Earth either?”

“There are many more places in the universe than just Titan and Earth,” Thanos answered, letting his knees fall down and his legs fall over the edge of the cliff, “I have already been scouting the far reaches of the cosmos, looking for a habitable, uninhabited planet to call my own.”

“A whole planet to yourself,” Adam said, “I can see the appeal.”

Thanos looked at Adam, brows furrowed, “I thought you humans were herd animals.”

There was a slight smile playing at Adam’s lips, “The peace and solitude sounds like heaven.”

Thanos just looked at Adam before turning his eyes back to the sky.

They sat there in silence for a few hours, neither of them disturbing the peace, giving each other the chance to be alone.

“It’s almost morning,” Thanos finally said as it started getting lighter, “We have school in a few hours, how are you going to fare without sleep?”

“One night won’t make a difference,” Adam answered stretching his limbs, “This is not the first time I’ve done this.”

“How did you come here?”

“I walked, I don’t live far from here.”

“Do you need a ride?” Thanos asked hesitantly.

There was a look of surprise on Adam’s face, “Yes, that would be nice,” he said after a pause.

“I parked my bike at the edge of the forest, it’s not a long walk.”

They got up together and headed back the way Thanos had come, walking side by side they dodged the low hanging branches and stepped over the roots that were sticking out of the ground. It didn’t take them long to reach the bike and Thanos reached for the helmet that was hanging on the handlebar and handed it to Adam.

For a moment Adam thought it would be too big for him but he lifted it up anyway and lowered it on his head and was surprised to feel the padding adjust to his head.

Without a word he hopped on the back of the bike and waited for Thanos to get up on the front. When they were both on, Adam hesitated for a moment but decided to lean forward and wrap his arms around Thanos’ middle. 

Thanos went stiff.

There was a moment of stillness when Adam just felt Thanos’ chest rise and fall with his breathing, but he eventually relaxed and kicked the bike into gear and took off along the road.

He didn't ask where Adam lived and just drove them to the school and dropped Adam off in front of it. He enjoyed the short walk home, admiring the sunrise that painted the sky red.

The week passed fast and they were walking through the school corridors, bantering back and forth, mostly talking about their assignment. Adam had even managed to get a small grin out of Thanos and the mood between them was rather genial. Thanos was obnoxious sure, brash and snide, but he was also very witty and smart and Adam found he was starting to enjoy the other boy’s company. They were walking shoulder to shoulder down the corridor, the other students parting as they saw Thanos approaching, eliciting curious whispers now that he was still flanked by the new student. Adam didn’t pay any mind to them. 

Thanos was in the middle of an explanation on the relativity theory when Adam felt him go quiet and stop in his tracks. He turned to look back at him and followed his gaze and saw Thanos staring at something with a stern look on his face. It was Wade and Morticia, head bowed together as they were quietly talking to each other, Morticia smiling lightly and bowing down to whisper something into Wade’s ear. 

Adam looked back at Thanos and saw something very raw in his face, something he didn’t have time to consider when Thanos had hurried out of the school doors without a word. 

”Thanos!” Adam tried to call after him but didn’t get a response. He picked up his pace and ran after him, seeing his tall figure duck behind a corner where the school dumpsters were.

”Thanos!” He tried again.

When Adam rounded the corner the only thing he could see were the trash containers. He slowed his step and walked forward, peeking between them and found Thanos sitting on the ground with his legs drawn to his chest, his arms crossed and his head burrowed in his arms. Adam kneeled down beside him.

Adam gently cupped the side of Thanos’s face and lifted his head up to look at him.

“I wasn’t crying,” Thanos snapped and turned his head away.

Gently Adam turned his head back, pulled his sleeve over his hand and dried Thanos’s cheeks.

When he was done he sat down next to Thanos, pulled his knees to his chest and pressed their sides together.

There were the sounds of the school yard in the distance, students happily chatting and yelling now that the school day was over. It was all muffled and Adam paid it no mind.

“We should get you home,” he said after a moment.

Thanos just grunted in reply.

Adam got up and reached for Thanos’ hand and tugged at it to pull him up. Thanos, however, was much heavier than Adam had expected and he couldn’t even make the other boy budge.

“You need to help me out a little,” he said, still tugging on Thanos’s hand.

Thanos just grunted again, but pushed himself up to stand next to Adam. He looked down at their interlocked hands and when Adam noticed the stare he pulled his hand back.

Without a word, Adam headed back to the front yard and glanced back to make sure Thanos was still following him. When he saw the other boy walking close behind he headed confidently to where Thanos’ bike was waiting and picked up the helmet from the handlebar and handed it to Thanos.

“Whatever,” was the reply he got.

Before Thanos could do anything, Adam had hopped on the back of the bike and was now sitting there, staring at Thanos with a challenge in his eyes.

They just stared at each other but after a moment Thanos sighed and handed the helmet over to Adam. It did what it had done earlier and adjusted the padding to his head, he leaned back and waited for Thanos to get on as well and then leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the other boy.

The trip was fast since Thanos lived nearby. The street was lined with big, expensive looking houses with neatly trimmed hedges and beautiful gardens. Adam tried to take it all in as they drove past, but everything was a blur.

At the end of the street, on a large hill, was a huge building. It wasn’t even a house, it was a mansion and it rose above all the other houses, regal and proud with a tall metal fence circling around it, hiding yet another beautiful garden behind it.

They drove to the tall iron gate and Thanos spoke up, “I.S.A.A.C would you please let us in?”

_Must be their butler,_ Adam thought to himself.

The gate opened quietly and Thanos drove up a dirt road all the way up to the building and then turned left and drove into a garage.

He parked the bike quietly at the back of the space and motioned for Adam to give him the helmet. Adam complied and ran his finger through his hair, taming the wild mop and then followed Thanos through a small door. It led to a huge hall with a beautiful crystal chandelier and two long staircases covered in red carpets leading up to a balcony. There were paintings of strangers all around the walls and heavy curtains hanging on the tall windows that were flanking the front door.

It was quite impressive.

“Would you like something to eat? To drink?” Thanos asked stopping and turning to look at Adam.

“Uh, something to drink would be nice.”

“Water? Tea? Lemonade?”

“Tea, please.”

“What kind?”

“Do you maybe have green?”

“Sugar? Honey? Milk?”

“Honey.”

“I.S.A.A.C, would you be so kind and bring Adam green tea with honey to my room?” Thanos asked lifting his eyes up to the ceiling.

“Certainly, master Thanos,” The ceiling replied and Adam’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Thanos noticed this.

“Our A.I, I.S.A.A.C, short for Integral Synaptic Anti Anionic Computer,” he explained, “He was my father’s creation originally but naturally it was crude at best, I improved him to be an efficient butler and build him robotic bodies so he can do work around the house.”

“Impressive,” Adam hummed, still looking at the ceiling.

“Come,” Thanos said and headed for the stairs.

The people from the paintings were staring down at them and Adam felt oddly uncomfortable. When they reached the top they turned left and walked along a wide, spacious corridor that was lined with tall windows on one side and doors on the other with more paintings in between. Thanos stopped at the last door on the right and hesitated for a moment. Adam stood behind him patiently and when Thanos finally opened the door he walked in, curiosity taking over him.

The room was big and tidy, the walls were painted black and there were posters of bands Adam didn’t recognise on the walls. A double bed was pushed against the back wall and there was a small nightstand next to it with all sorts of technology Adam didn’t know the use of. There was a long table next to the nightstand filled with more gadgets and gizmos and a large holographic screen quietly humming, floating on top of everything and casting a pale green light over the room. On one wall was a tall wardrobe with double doors and the rest of the walls were covered in shelves that were full of all sorts of things. 

Thanos walked to the back wall and drew the curtains away from the windows, letting the sun in the room, lighting everything with its warm glow.

Adam walked to one of the shelves, curiously inspecting the content. There were boxes, some with lids on and some without, filled with more apparatuses, some of them were filled with tools and there was one that was full of wires. He walked along the shelf and came to a row of books, curiously reading the backs of them while trailing his finger along the spines. There were stacks of papers strewn about one shelf and what seemed to be some kind of screens stacked on another, what surprised Adam was the small figure of an orange cat, looking ahead contently with its big green eyes and its big fluffy tail wrapping around its body. Adam was glad Thanos couldn’t see his face because there was a wide, affectionate smile spreading on it and he doubted Thanos would appreciate it very much.

He continued along the shelves, inspecting the books and the boxes, trailing his hand along them until he came to the end.

“Sated your curiosity?” Thanos asked from the wall he was leaning on.

“It is very… You,” Adam said with a smile when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Thanos raised his voice and the door opened and it revealed a tall robot carrying a steaming cup.

“Tea for Sir Adam,” it said and extended his hand with the cup towards Adam.

“Oh, thank you,” Adam said and rushed to take it from the robot.

“You are very welcome, Sir. Please do let me know if there is anything else I can do for you,” He said, bowed deeply and left the room, closing the door behind him.

“And you build that yourself?” Adam asked impressed.

“He has five bodies in total and is in control of the entire house,” Thanos explained as Adam headed to sit on the bed with his cup.

“What is it exactly he’s in control of?” Adam asked as he sipped the tea.

“Central heating, the locks, the security system, the lighting, all the technology, you name it,” Thanos listed as he turned around to gaze out the window.

It was then when Adam noticed the acoustic guitar standing at the feet of his bed, right next to one of the windows.

“You play?” He asked curiously, nodding at the guitar.

Thanos looked slightly self-conscious, “Some,” He answered curtly.

“Would you play me something?” he asked, pretty sure what the answer would be.

Thanos looked reluctant for a moment and Adam was surprised when he picked up the guitar and sat next to him on the bed.

Adam sat up straighter and turned to Thanos.

The guitar looked light in his hands and he pulled himself back so he could rest his back to the wall. The first notes were a bit hesitant but as he warmed up his playing got more confident.

Adam closed his eyes and enjoyed the sounds and opened his eyes in surprise when Thanos started singing.

_“My hope is blood on broken glass  
A shattered hole, a scattered past  
And I can’t wake up cause the darkness won’t let go  
And I can’t wake up cause the darkness is taking hold.”_

His voice was rough and low and surprisingly pleasant. 

_“Everything is lost  
And this nightmare is closing in  
Everything is lost  
There’s a sorrow beneath my skin.”_

Adam had forgotten all about his tea.

_“This is the end of me  
This is the end of me.”_

There was a painful expression on his face and Adam felt a sudden pang of sadness in his chest.

_“There are angels and demons at war inside my chest  
The good and the evil are fighting to possess  
And I can’t stand up as the ground shakes underneath  
And i can’t stand up as the earth gives under me.”_

He felt like reaching out but was afraid to interrupt.

_“Everything is lost  
And this nightmare’s closing in  
Everything is lost  
There’s a sorrow beneath my skin  
This is the end of me  
This is the end of me.”_

Thanos’s voice cracked and his fingers slipped off the strings, making a strumming noise. He just sat there with the guitar on his lap, not lifting his gaze from his knees.

“How long did you know her for?” Adam asked cautiously, not wanting to spook Thanos.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Thanos answered quietly, still holding on to the guitar.

Adam remembered his tea and took a careful sip as a silence stretched on between them.

“Since we were six,” Thanos spoke up, his hands steady as he held on to the guitar.

“Were you always…” Adam thought about the right word to use, “…close?” he finished.

Thanos let out a sad smile, “From the moment we saw each other. She was the first person who didn’t shy away from me because of my looks. She actually walked up to me and told me she liked my eyes.”

Adam smiled and drew himself closer to Thanos, sitting side to side with him, still holding on to the cup, “Was she your only friend?” 

“…Yes,” Thanos whispered and his knuckles went pale as he squeezed the guitar.

Adam hesitated for a moment but eventually spoke up, “I can’t imagine how much you must have loved her.”

Thanos let out a growl at this and pushed the guitar aside as he got up from the bed, “Isn’t it time for you to go home? You haven’t even informed your parents about where you are.”

“Parent,” Adam replied, “I only have a father. And he won’t be home until the evening,” he said as he crossed his arms.

There was another moment of silence.

“But I suppose you’re right, I should get going,” he sighed and rose up from the bed. He had laid the cup at the floor in front of the bed and Adam reached down for it.

“Leave it, ISAAC will take care of it.”

Adam straightened up and headed for the door after Thanos.

They walked the corridors again with the paintings keeping a watchful eye on them and then descended the long stairs to the entrance hall.

“Will you need a ride?” Thanos asked, turning to Adam.

He could feel the reluctance in Thanos’ voice so he shook his head.

“I can take the bus,” he answered and headed to the main door.

“ISAAC, will you be kind enough to let Adam out once he reaches the gate?” Thanos asked the ceiling.

“Certainly, master Thanos,” ISAAC replied courteously as Thanos opened the door for Adam.

“Thank you,” Adam said and nodded at Thanos.

“Whatever,” Thanos replied and shut the door after Adam had gone out.

The gravel crunched under his sneakers and when he reached the gate there was a whirring sound and it opened.

“Master Thanos wishes you a safe journey,” ISAAC’s voice came from somewhere next to the gate.

“Tell him I said thank you,” Adam replied and after a moment of hesitation added, “And thank you for the tea.”

“It was my pleasure, Sir Adam,” ISAAC answered politely as Adam walked through the gate and headed down the street.

The walk to the bus stop was short and as Adam rose to the bus he could hear Thanos’s voice in his head.

_Everything is lost_  
There’s a sorrow beneath my skin  
This is the end of me. 

He felt an echo of an ache in his chest.


	2. Chapter 2

Adam was surprised the next time he met up with Thanos after classes and he suggested they head for the local coffee shop instead of the library. Adam welcomed the change and when he started heading for the parking lot Thanos spoke up.

“I walked today.”

“Oh,” Adam answered and then grinned, “The fresh air does you good seeing how cooped up in your room you are.” 

Thanos scoffed as he started walking and Adam had to jog to catch up to him.

The coffee shop was only a few streets away and they reached it fast. It was a small, rather quaint little shop, far removed from the big chains the other students seemed to prefer. Adam had visited it a few times and he recognised the woman behind the counter and greeted her warmly.

“What can I get you boys?” she asked, chewing on bubble gum and blowing a small bubble.

“I'll take a green tea,” Adam answered and turned to look at Thanos.

“Coffee, black,” Thanos said simply as he pulled a wallet from his back pocket. Adam reached for his but Thanos shook his head, “On me,” he said as he paid and then headed for a small table near the window.

Adam dug out his books and notebook and they started off with going back and forth with Adam's notes but they were soon forgotten after they got their drinks.

“Professor Parker doesn't really seem to appreciate you,” Adam noted as he closed his math book.

“Not many of them do,” Thanos answered with a sly smile, “For some reason they find me intimidating.”

“A nuisance more like,” Adam said, hiding a grin in his mug.

“It is not my fault they are incompetent and I'm not afraid to tell them that.”

“You are insufferable.”

“I'm an acquired taste.”

“Not going to argue with that,” Adam said setting his mug down and leaning over the table, “Professor Xavier seems to know how to put you in your place though.”

“He is one of the only competent teachers out there,” Thanos said with a sneer, “He has my respects.”

“A high compliment, I'm sure,” Adam said chuckling.

They continued talking about teachers and school for a while and then branched off to books and music, conversation flowing effortlessly. Adam didn't realise how late it had gotten until Thanos rose up and reached for his jacket on the back of the chair to put it on.

“We should get going,” he said as he straightened his jacket and looked at Adam expectantly. Adam got up as well and threw a quick good bye to the woman behind the counter as they headed outside.

Their conversation continued with ease for a few streets when Adam felt the first raindrops fall on his head. He stuck his hand out but before he could react the drops turned into a torrential downpour and the next thing he knew was being dragged by the hand down the street.

“Come,” Thanos said as he yanked Adam by the arm, “I live closer than you.”

They ran through the streets, people and buildings whizzing past as they neared Thanos' home street. Adam felt the rain soaking through his clothes and his sneakers squeaked with every step. He was chilled to the bone.

As they reached the tall iron gate it opened before them and Thanos pulled Adam along, not letting go of his hand. The driveway was long on foot but the rain had already done its job and they ducked under the porch roof both dripping water. Adam wrapped his arms around himself and shivered violently.

Thanos ushered him in and closed the door behind them. They entered the familiar entrance hall and Adam stood there for a moment, enjoying the warmth.

“Leave your shoes,” Thanos instructed and toed his sneakers off, he shrugged off his heavy leather jacket and let it fall to the floor.

“Um...” Adam started but before he could say anything Thanos already answered.

“It's fine, I.S.A.A.C will clean up after us.”

Without waiting for a reply Thanos started climbing the stairs, leaving a wet trail behind him. Adam followed suit. 

They followed the corridors to Thanos' room and stopped once outside his door.

“Wait here,” he said and disappeared inside another door, leaving Adam shivering in the hallway. The water was pounding the windows and he could see the wind bending the trees outside.

Thanos appeared from behind the door with a pile of clothes and a towel.

“Here,” he said and handed them to Adam, “The shower is behind that door and here's some dry clothes for you. They might not be a perfect fit but they should do.”

“Thank you,” Adam felt a smile creep on his lips. He would have never thought the belligerent boy he met the first day at school would turn out to be this considerate. Adam gave a small smile at Thanos and disappeared through the bathroom door.

Thanos hadn't been lying when he said the clothes weren't his size. The shirt was definitely Thanos', it was long enough to reach his knees and the neckline almost fell off his shoulder. The sweatpants on the other hand were a better fit and Adam reasoned they must belong to Thanos' brother, Eros. They were dry and warm ever the same and Adam was thankful.

When he stepped out the bathroom he almost jumped at the sight of I.S.A.A.C standing just outside the door.

“You may leave your clothes on the chair, I will wash and dry them for you,” I.S.A.A.C said, “Master Thanos is waiting for you.”

Adam thanked the droid and opened the door to Thanos' room.

“You liked green, right?” Thanos asked as he turned to Adam and pointed at a cup on the table. Adam picked it up with an appreciative hum. He sat down carefully on the big comfortable chair in front of the table and closed his eyes as he let the steam wafting from the cup warm his face.

“According to I.S.A.A.C and his calculations the worst of the storm should pass in an hour,” Thanos was sitting on his bed and holding a small pad, his fingers dancing on the touch screen. Adam was fascinated so he rose up from the chair and walked to the bed and sat down next to Thanos.

“Have you build this yourself?” he asked, motioning to the screen in his hand.

“Yes, everything in this room I build myself. Earth technology doesn't even come close to Titan's so i had to bring all of the parts from there.”

They sat there for a while, Thanos showing off some gadgets he was working on and Adam asking questions, curious about the foreign technology. Their conversation was stopped by a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Thanos called and I.S.A.A.C entered with Adam's clothes on his robotic arms.

“Here you go, sir Adam,” he said kindly as he handed the clothes to Adam.

“Thank you,” Adam answered appreciatively.

“It was no trouble.”

I.S.A.A.C turned to leave and Adam followed suit and headed for the bathroom.

When he emerged with his own clothes on he was surprised to find Thanos still waiting for him. He had expected for I.S.A.A.C to show him out.

“The storm has passed and you should be able to go home now.”

Adam just nodded.

The walk back to the front door was quiet. When they reached the bottom of the stairs Adam was pleased to find his shoes had been dried off as well.

“I.S.A.A.C, would you please be so kind and let Adam out when he reaches the gate?”

Adam was surprised at how politely Thanos seemed to talk to the A.I.

“Most certainly,” came the answer somewhere from the ceiling but before Adam could leave, the door opened and revealed Sui-San, Alars and Eros, all whom Adam instantly recognised from the tabloids.

Eros was the first to react, “Oh, who do we have here?” he asked with a sly tone.

“He was just leaving,” Thanos answered curtly, gently placing his hand on Adam's back and guiding him out the door.

“Oh no no no, could it be that my brother has finally managed to make a friend?” Eros asked, wide grin spreading on his face as he slapped Thanos' hand away and wrapped his arm around Adam's shoulder. Adam shrugged it off.

“Oh you did mention you had a study partner,” Sui-San spoke up as she took off her coat and offered her hand to Adam, “Sui-San, I'm Thanos' mother.”

“Yes, I know,” Adam answered as he took her hand and gave it a firm squeeze, “I'm Adam.”

“Thanos didn't mention you'd be visiting us,” Alars said, taking off his coat as well and offering him his hand.

“Oh, it was a spur of the moment kind of a thing, seeing how the rain caught us off guard,” Adam gave as an answer and glanced at Thanos who was looking down at his feet, looking uncomfortable.

“Oh you must stay for dinner,” Sui-San said brightly, taking his husband's hand in hers, “I.S.A.A.C should have something ready for us.”

“Indeed Mrs. Sui-San,” the A.I answered as his robot body came to collect their wet coats.

“Right this way,” Eros said, still grinning as he wrapped his arm around Adam's shoulder again and lead him towards a hallway on the left.

Adam glanced at Thanos who was still looking at his feet but turned to follow them.

“I hope you like roast beef,” Alars said as Eros lead them to a sizeable dining room with tall walls that were decorated with more paintings of Eternals Adam didn't recognise and a long table covered in an ornate tablecloth with multiple decorated chairs lining it all the way to the end. Three impressive crystal chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling, offering their soft glow to light the room. It was clearly a room meant to hold big events in.

“I think something bit more casual, don't you think,” Eros said as he lead Adam across the room and under an archway that lead to a beautiful kitchen.

There was a sizeable kitchen isle in the middle with barstools all around it and I.S.A.A.C was right behind it, setting up the dishware and bringing in the food.

“Please, sit down,” Sui-San said as he pulled out one of the bar stools.

“Thank you,” Adam answered kindly as he sat down and turned to see Thanos sit right next to him.

Alars, Sui-San and Eros sat across from them and started gathering food on their plates and Adam followed suit.

“So you two are partnered up for an assignment, is that right?” Sui-San asked when her plate was full.

“Yes, I must admit I felt a bit apprehensive at first but Thanos has been very insightful and I have learned a lot,” Adam answered while filling his plate and glanced at Thanos.

“Oh, I am delighted to hear that!” Sui-San exclaimed, “It is good to hear he is making new acquaintances.”

“It's a miracle,” Eros quipped in between mouthfuls.

“How long have you been working together now?” Alars asked, taking a sip from his glass.

“Oh, maybe a month,” Adam answered, poking at his food, “It has been quite... eventful,” he continued with a crooked grin.

“Oh Thanos can be quite a handful,” Alars said with a laugh and Adam could feel Thanos bristle at this.

“He is an acquired taste,” Adam said slightly defensively, shooting a comforting smile at Thanos.

Thanos ignored him.

Eros barked out a laugh, “I'm amazed anyone would acquire a taste for such a sour puss.”

“I quite enjoy his company,” Adam said, feeling even more defensive. He swore Thanos' ears turned pink at that.

“Have you been living here for long?” Sui-San asked, changing the subject.

“Oh, I just moved here with my father, we have only been in town for a bit over a month.”

“Oh, how are you liking it so far?”

“It's very beautiful town and the people have also been very welcoming.”

“Where did you live before?” Alars asked conversationally, looking up from his plate.

“Oh here and there, me and my father move a lot due to his work.”

“What does he do?” Sui-San asked, interested.

“He's a scientist and does a bit of this and that.”

“And have you thought about following in his footsteps?”

“I don't know about that, I'm not sure what I want to do yet.”

“Oh, you're very young, you'll have plenty of time to figure it out,” she offered genially as she reached for her glass.

The mood in the room was very relaxed and Adam found himself answering the onslaught of questions Thanos' family seemed to have, knowing Thanos Adam wasn't surprised they were curious about someone who he had seemed to befriend.

When it was time for dessert, I.S.A.A.C brought out five tall glasses of what seemed to be some kind of tiramisu pudding. Adam was surprised to find it incredibly delicious.

“Did I.S.A.A.C make all of this?” Adam asked.

“Yes, Thanos has programmed him well,” Sui-San answered, giving Thanos a proud smile, “We have no need for other servants anymore, I.S.A.A.C does everything for us.”

“Must be quite handy,” Adam hummed in reply, turning back to his glass.

Once Adam was finished Thanos rose up, “It's getting late, Adam should get going,” he said, looking at Adam expectantly.

“Oh, I suppose you're right,” Adam said, glancing at the clock on the wall, “Thank you so much for dinner, it was a pleasure to meet all of you,” he said with a smile.

“Drop by any time, dear, we're so happy Thanos has found a friend,” Sui-San said as he pulled Adam into a hug. He felt slightly uncomfortable but didn't let it show.

“I will, thank you,” Adam offered as he shook Alars' hand and nodded at Eros.

“We're so happy Thanos has found a boyfriend,” Eros said mimicking his mother's voice.

“I'm not...” Adam started but was interrupted.

“Do drop by any time, maybe Thanos will mellow out after a good make out session,” Eros said as he play punched Thanos in the shoulder. Thanos pushed him away.

“Oh, don't mind Eros,” Sui-San said genially, “He doesn't mean anything by it.”

“It's okay,” Adam answered with a reserved frown.

“I'll walk you to the door,” Thanos said as he grabbed Adam by the arm and steered him outside.

When they reached the front door Adam opened it and turned back to Thanos.

“I'll see you tomorrow at school.”

Thanos nodded in reply and watched Adam close the door behind him.

When Adam reached the gate there was a buzzing sound and the gate opened.

“Thank you,” Adam said not sure if I.S.A.A.C could hear him.

“The pleasure was all mine, Sir Adam,” The voice said, clear as day.

“You can just call me Adam.”

“Certainly Sir Adam, Master Thanos wishes you safe journey home.”

Adam shook his head, “Thank him for me.”

Adam stepped through the gate and heard it click shut behind him. The air was clear and he took a deep breath to enjoy the smell after the rain.

His steps were light on the way home.

Thanos' days still consisted mostly of ignoring Morticia and Wade, his throat constricting every time he accidentally caught a glimpse of them.

He actually felt kind of grateful for Adam starting the same day Wade did. He had provided a distraction from the hurt and Thanos' annoyance towards the other boy had effectively taken his mind off everything, it was a small comfort but a comfort nonetheless.

That's why it was so painfully obvious when Adam suddenly didn't show up one day. And the day after that. The third day Thanos was getting apprehensive, especially since he hadn't heard anything from him. They had exchanged numbers because of the assignment but there hadn't been a need to contact each other so far and Thanos wasn't quite sure where their friendship stood or if it could even be called friendship. Thanos didn't exactly have anything to compare this new relationship to.

Standing at the school gates after a long, agonising day, he was debating whether to text Adam or not. After a short contemplation he pulled up the school records, the highly confidential and secret school records, figuring it was the fastest way to find out where Adam lived.

He found out Adam didn't live too far off from him and it only took him 15 minutes of walking to reach Adam's house.

It turned out he lived in a remarkably average looking house in a remarkably average looking neighbourhood. The school records had shown he lived with his father and there was no mention of other relatives.

A quick search had also revealed Mr. Herbert Wyndham was not Adam's real father or any blood relation to him. What seemed to be true was them moving around a lot, Thanos could find Adam's name in the records of many different schools.

The porch was surprisingly bare and there wasn't really any clutter or adornments that were very common for a family who lived in a house and a neighbourhood like this.

The doorbell didn't seem to be working, at least Thanos couldn't hear anything when he pressed it, so he gave three sharp knocks with his knuckles and listened intently for any sounds coming from inside. He couldn't hear anything so he tried a few more times and when nothing happened he stepped off the porch and circled around the house to look in through the windows, trying to see if there was anyone inside. All the curtains had been drawn and they were heavy and thick enough so you couldn't really see inside. 

Coming back to the front he found an old woman staring intently at him over the fence, her face scrunched in disgust.

“I know who you are.”

Her voice was creaky and it immediately grated on Thanos' nerves.

“That makes two of us,” Thanos sneered in reply and before the old woman could say anything he continued, “Where are the Wyndhams?”

“That happens to be none of your business,” she said sharply, “You should leave, you are not welcome here.”

“I wasn't counting on your hospitality.”

“Oh you are such a nasty boy, just like the news say.”

Thanos groaned at this.

“Unlike Adam, oh what a polite young man, always so helpful,” She smiled and sighed happily, “Really a pleasure to have met him.”

“Have?”

“Not that it's any of your business but they had been talking about the possibility of moving. Really sad since they just got here,” The old woman really did look sad, “Maybe they are out looking for a new house?”

An odd dread rose to Thanos' throat.

“They only asked me to water the flowers and look after the house while they are away.”

“Thank you, you have been most helpful,” Thanos said, making sure the sarcasm didn't go unnoticed and then he walked away, not really interested in anything else the woman had to say.

The woman huffed.

“At least the two others were polite when they came to ask for Adam.”

Thanos stopped and turned around.

“Two others?”

“Yes, a man and a woman. They looked remarkably like Adam, I figured they had to be relatives. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go feed my cats,” She stuck her nose up in the air and hurried towards her house.

“Did they tell you anything about themselves? Or why they were looking for Adam?”

She turned her head slightly.

“No, but their reason must be much nicer than yours,” She replied and then hurried inside and left Thanos muttering insults behind her.

The dread came back when Thanos walked down the street, heading home. He would have expected for Adam to tell him about a huge change like this or maybe he had overestimated whatever it was that might have been between them.

He was relieved for the distraction when his phone beeped.

“Master Thanos, I have young Master Adam behind our gate asking for you. May I let him in?”

Thanos' breath caught in his throat and he couldn't get a word out for a moment out of something that felt a lot like relief.

“Yes, take him to my room if you'd be so kind and give him anything he might need. Is my family home?”

“Your parents shall not return from their work trip until three days from now and Master Eros is out.”

Figures, Eros was always out these days, spreading mischief when he knew he could get away with it. Eros was an average student at best but his charm seemed to more than compensate for it. The tabloids loved him and his father favoured him over Thanos, even if he tried to deny it.

He was very thankful for them not being home at the moment.

“Tell him I'll be there as soon as I can,” Thanos said as he pocketed his phone and broke out in a run.

When he reached his front door he took a few seconds to steady his breathing before he stepped inside. He was immediately greeted by a forlorn looking Adam, sitting on the first step of the staircase.

He was wearing a black hoodie and his hair seemed to be a mess from hiding underneath the hood. There were black circles around his eyes and he seemed incredibly nervous. The moment he noticed Thanos he stood up.

“Master Adam preferred to wait you in the lobby,” I.S.A.A.C said and Thanos was annoyed by this obvious remark.

“Is everything alright?” Thanos asked trying to sound like he hadn't been worrying. Adam only lowered his gaze on the ground with a painful expression on his face.

“I'm...” he started, “I uh...” When he didn't seem to know how to continue Thanos took a step closer. This seemed to shock Adam out of his trance and he looked up at Thanos his eyes widening in what seemed like fear.

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come here,” Adam pushed past Thanos but didn't get far when he felt a hand grab him by the arm.

“Is there anything you need? Food, water, shower?” Adam seemed to relax a bit at this and turned to look at Thanos' hand on his arm.

“I need help.”

“Come,” was all Thanos said, not letting go of Adam's arm as if he was scared he could still turn around and disappear again.

When they reached Thanos's room Adam climbed on the bed with his back against the wall and pulled his knees up to his chest. Thanos regarded him for a moment and then went to get a red blanket from the closet and when he handed it over Adam immediately wrapped it around his shoulders.

After a moment of silence Adam spoke up.

“I don't know where to begin,” his voice was small and tired and he looked as weary as he sounded. Thanos climbed next to him in bed.

“I'm being followed,” he started hesitantly when Thanos didn't say anything.

“By a man and a woman.”

Adam's eyes widened.

“How did you know?”

Suddenly Thanos felt like he had been caught red-handed and he had to look away from Adam.

“I went to your house to look for you. Your neighbour mentioned a man and a woman who had been asking after you,” Thanos turned slightly to see Adam's reaction.

Adam's eyes narrowed.

“How did you know where I live?”

Thanos averted his gaze again.

“That's not important. Why are they following you?”

Adam stared at Thanos suspiciously for a moment but then looked at his knees and wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.

“I'm not human,” he blurted out.

This statement was definitely something Thanos was not expecting and he was left with silent gape.

“Not quite anyway,” Adam continued and averted his gaze when Thanos didn't say anything. With a heavy sigh Adam straightened his back.

“There was this secret organisation, they called themselves 'The Hive'.” 

Thanos immediately grabbed the pad from beside his bed and unlocked it.

“You won't find anything about them,” Adam said knowing exactly what Thanos was about to do, “Very few people know about them. They were Earth scientists tasked to create a super soldier, a weapon strong enough to win any war,” Adam looked pained and lowered his head to rest his chin on his knees, “I'm that weapon. They created me and brought me up to be a merciless killer. Maybe they would have succeeded if it wasn't for my father.”

“Herbert Wyndham, I couldn't find any information about him.”

“It is for our safety. Though most of the scientists were killed in an explosion, some of them survived, and, well, they weren't quite happy about that,” Adam let out a small smile for the first time after coming to Thanos.

“So they're after you and you need to get rid of them? Why not just call the police?”

“Uh there's more...”

“I suppose it gets worse?”

“I wasn't the only one they made.”

“The man and the woman. They are your genetic doubles?” Thanos asked, thinking back to what the woman had said about them looking like Adam.

“In essence yes, but they're also different,” Adam took a deep breath before he continued, “Magus, the man, was the one they created first. It became clear early on that he was too... unstable. He was cunning and smart, just like they wanted him to be, but he was also aggressive and unpredictable. He did not like to take orders and finally his rebellion turned to outright hostility, they induced a coma since he was too valuable to be destroyed. Their second try was Goddess.”

“Goddess, really?”

“They were nothing if not dramatic,” Adam almost laughed, “They tried to weed out Magus's aggression and smooth out the rough edges, but she turned out too... good.”

“Why is she after you then? If she's supposed to be good shouldn't she be helping you instead?”

“Her supposed goodness was rather ephemeral, she refused to hurt those she considered innocent. For example she would not harm ordinary foot soldiers claiming they were merely pawns, most of them fighting against their will. But those she considered guilty... She was just as ruthless as Magus. I guess you could say she was as righteous as she was vindictive.”

“Not a perfect soldier.”

“No,” agreed Adam, ”Pretty much useless to them. Then they made me. Where they made Magus and Goddess adults they took a different approach with me. They created an infant, someone they could bring up to respect and follow every order of his superiors.”

“Brainwashing,” Thanos deadpanned.

“Yes, in essence,” Adam's voice was no more than a whisper.

Thanos felt like he should comfort Adam somehow but he didn't know what to do.

“I was what they were hoping for. Silent, submissive. I wanted to please them, I needed their approval.”

“What changed?” Thanos asked.

“My father. He was one of the scientists working on me, but he was always different, gentler, sympathetic. He was the one in charge of my indoctrination. He was to make sure I would grow up to be their pawn. But he grew too fond of me.”

Thanos could hear Adam let out a small chuckle.

“His humane nature was their undoing, he orchestrated an elaborate escape plan, he would make a distraction big enough so no one would notice him smuggling me out. I was about five, I have very little memory of this. His 'distraction' was big enough to destroy the whole base. All the data regarding this program was destroyed along with most of the masterminds behind it. We've been living in hiding ever since. There have been many close calls so we've had to keep on moving, but they keep finding us faster and faster.”

“Have they seen you yet?”

“No, but they know I'm here in this town.”

“And your father?” 

“He's in hiding as well, I'm their priority though so they are not actively looking for him. I'm not sure if they managed to follow me here,” Adam suddenly looked horrified, “I put you and your family in danger by coming here. I need to leave, maybe they won't know I've been here.”

Adam shot up from the bed dropping the red blanket in the process. He didn't even manage to take one step towards the door when he felt Thanos' hand wrap around his arm again. He was gently tucked back and when the back of his legs hit the edge of the bed he sat down.

“How much of a threat are they?” Thanos stood up, looking down at him.

“Well, they have the same abilities as me.”

“Which are?”

“Enhanced biology in essence with ultra senses, I got superhuman speed, strength, stamina, durability, agility, reflexes, you name it. I also have vast energy manipulation capabilities like energy constructs, matter manipulation, cosmic energy manipulation, metaphysical quantum energy manipulation and force fields. I have also been trained in all forms of martial arts and weapons knowledge.”

Thanos was silent, just staring at Adam.

“Oh and I can fly, Goddess can as well.”

“So a huge threat then,” Thanos chewed on his bottom lip around the piercings and looked contemplative.

“I also have this gem,” Adam said, fishing what looked like a green gabochon from his pocket, “It was gifted to me by my father, I'm not entirely sure on its full potential but he called it the soul stone,” he said as he picked the gem between his thumb and index finger and lifted it to the light, “As far as I know, true to its name, it can attack people's souls and steal them into itself, it is sentient to a degree. It can also disrupt the anima of a soul with a karmic blast rendering anyone unconscious.”

Thanos looked intrigued.

“Where does it come from? This seems like something you wouldn't find on earth.”

“I don't know, my father hasn't told me much about it.”

“Do you know how to use it?”

“Theoretically, I have never used it for real but my father did advice me on how it worked.”

Thanos looked contemplative again.

“We do have advanced prison facilities on Titan and I believe they should be able to contain beings as strong as Magus and Goddess.”

Thanos turned to look at Adam, “If we are able to catch them that is,” He looked grim, “Do you think your gem would work on them?”

Adam chewed on his bottom lip, “I'm not sure. I also don't know how siphoning someone's soul might affect me so I'm not too keen to try it.”

They fell into heavy silence that lasted for several minutes.

“So you can fly then?” Thanos asked, looking at Adam with curiosity.

“I think levitation is the proper word,” Adam said while rising up above the bed, straightening his legs and gracefully landing on the floor in front of it.

“I suppose this is why you always held back in gym class.”

“You noticed?” Adam looked surprised.

Thanos hummed, “You are very light footed and graceful in the way you move outside of class and then when the class starts you suddenly turn clumsy and uncoordinated. Suppose you don't want to turn the attention to yourself. You are also a lot smarter than you let on in class.”

Adam was about to answer when I.S.A.A.C spoke up.

“Master Thanos, there is a young lady circling around our fences, I believe she's trying to find a way in.”

Adam paled considerably.

Thanos got up from the bed moving to one of the large screens on his table.

“Give me visual.”

A security camera image popped on the screen and Adam let out a shaky breath.

“It's her.”

The Goddess did look remarkably like Adam, she had a very pleasant pointy face with high cheekbones, her nose was straight and she had big doe eyes. Her body was lithe, yet it looked strong and she had the same featly quality to her step than Adam, there was something slightly more ominous about the way she moved though, it was more of a prowl than a walk.

They watched her circle the premise for a moment until she reached the front gate.

“I.S.A.A.C, voice communication if you'd be so kind.”

Adam hear a small buzz and then Thanos talked.

“May I help you, miss?”

She didn't seem surprised at the voice.

“Yes, hello. I'm sorry to bother you like this, but my little brother has been missing for a few days and I was wondering if you've seen him? He was last seen in this direction,” she was very sure in her manner, back straight and voice calm.

“Have you filed a missing person's report?”

“Oh no, this is slightly embarrassing but he fights with our father a lot, being a teenager and all, and tends to disappear for a few days, he's been gone longer than usually though so we're having a bit of a search around first.”

“What does your brother look like?”

“A lot like me actually. He's about the same hight as me and he wears his hair short. Last time we saw him he was wearing a black hoodie and light jeans.

What little color remained on Adam's face, drained away.

“I'm afraid I haven't seen anyone fitting that description.”

“Too bad, thank you anyway,” She said curtly and without further ado turned around and walked away briskly without waiting for a reply.

“She knows,” Adam's voice was small and scared, “ _They_ know. I really shouldn't have come here, I'm so sorry.”

“You need to stay here for the night,” Thanos said ignoring Adam, “I.S.A.A.C, add Adam's voice to your control bank. All you need to do is say his name and he'll reply.” 

They stood in silence for a moment.

“What do we do now?” Adam asked dejectedly. 

“They are no doubt monitoring the building. We need to come up with a plan, we can't stay here forever just like you can't keep running forever,” Thanos mused, “Titan has the facilities to contain them but first we need to figure out how to get them there. I believe both brute force and cunning are needed.”

Adam squinted his eyes suspiciously.

“You're not enjoying this are you?”

Thanos smiled wolfishly, “It is the first proper intellectual challenge I've had in a while.”

“I'm glad to hear you're taking this seriously,” Adam said sourly.

The glint in Thanos's black eyes was frightening and it actually gave Adam comfort. With Thanos on his side maybe he had a chance.

“How well can you use your powers?”

“My father has mostly taught me controlling and hiding them, there has never been a safe place for me to practice,” Adam answered building up glowing energy in his fist and then letting it dissipate.

“Come,” Thanos said simply and led them out of the door.

They walked through the corridors and came to an elevator, they entered it and it took them deep underground and when the doors opened Adam found himself walking in to a massive hall with a few screens and computers right next to the door and near the edges of the walls were all sorts of equipment and obstacles you might find in a gym.

“What...” was all Adam could get out before Thanos answered.

“I have the usual attributes of Titans, increased strength, longevity and senses compared to humans as well as enhanced biology, I can regenerate damaged tissue with much greater speed than them too.”

Thanos walked to the middle of the room and turned to Adam.

“But I also have abilities the rest of the Titans don't possess, thanks to my deviant gene.”

Adam remembered reading about that, Sui-San and Alars had given a statement on it when there had been questions and rumours about Thanos's peculiar looks. They had explained what the deviant gene was and how it had affected Thanos, imploring everyone to treat Thanos as they would anyone else.

“They are much similar to yours actually,” Thanos continued, “I can manipulate and control energy as well as matter to a small degree,” He demonstrated this by gathering small amount of energy around his hand. It was a bright glow that kept getting more intense and Adam could feel the hairs on his neck stand up. The glow on Thanos's fist dimmed.

“I have also trained myself in hand to hand combat and I'm proficient in all the weapons of earth and Titan alike.”

Without a warning Thanos whipped around and released an energy beam towards Adam who just barely escaped it with singed hair.

“What...” Was all he could get out when he saw another one come his way and he took off to the air, putting some distance between him and Thanos. There was no time for him to take a breather when Thanos kept barraging him, not giving him the time to think.

“You will never win a fight by just avoiding the attacks,” Thanos yelled at him from down the floor, “You need to learn to use your powers offensively if you wish to have any chance against them,” Thanos grinned, “You can't hurt me.”

That remark irked Adam to the point where he turned around to face Thanos, his fists glowing white and his brow furrowed. His attack was clumsy and Thanos could easily sidestep it but Adam left him no time to find his footing, he copied what Thanos had done and kept barraging him with the energy projections to keep him on his feet, not giving him the chance to attack.

“I see there is some fire in you after all,” Thanos grinned victoriously, “You might yet have a chance.”

Adam charged for Thanos, gathering energy between both of his hands, hoping the shorter distance would make it more efficient, but he wasn't prepared for Thanos to charge back. He tried to dodge by flying up but wasn't fast enough, feeling a firm grip around his ankle he let out a yelp when he was pulled down forcefully. The air escaped his lungs when his back hit the floor and he could feel a tight grip around both of his wrists and the weight of Thanos sitting on top of him.

“It seems like we have a lot of work to do,” Thanos deadpanned, face close to Adam's.

Adam could not get out a word, he just panted, trying to even out his breathing. Thanos was close enough for him to feel his breath on his face and for a moment their eyes locked. The deep black of his eyes seemed endless and Adam wondered if this is what it felt like falling in to the abyss.

They stayed there for what felt like a small eternity until Thanos seemed to jolt back to reality and rose off Adam with a blush creeping up his cheeks.

“It was very useful seeing the extent of your powers,” He said, not looking Adam in the eyes, “I can't teach you much in one night but I can show you some basics of defending yourself and picking your moments to attack.”

Adam rose up to his feet and wiped the sweat off his forehead and braced himself for another round.

It was dark outside when they finally emerged from the underground space. They were both sweaty and panting, too tired to say anything, walking through the corridors in silence. 

Thanos led them back to his room and handed Adam a bundle of clean clothes and a fresh towel. Adam took them without a word and headed for the bathroom.

While Adam showered Thanos sat in front of his table, picked up his pad and dug up the security footage from the last few hours. He knew I.S.A.A.C would have informed him if anything out of the ordinary happened but he did it anyway.

As advanced as the technology of the house was it was not impenetrable, especially since Thanos didn't really know how knowledgeable Magus and Goddess were or what kind of technology they themselves possessed.

He was deep in thought when Adam quietly entered the room.

“I asked I.S.A.A.C to prepare us something to eat in the kitchen, feel free to start without me.”

Thanos pushed past Adam and headed for the shower himself, waiting for the hot water to wash away the ache from his muscles.

Once he was done he changed into clean clothes and headed for the kitchen. He found Adam there, eating a sandwich and browsing through his pad.

When he walked closer he saw him scrolling through a news site, only checking the headlines and not really opening any links.

“Anything of interest?”

Adam swallowed what he was eating before replying.

“Nothing. Not to us at least.”

Thanos sat down next to Adam and reached for a sandwich and a cup of tea.

“I.S.A.A.C has prepared the guest bedroom for you, I'll show it to you after we've finished eating.”

“Uh...” Adam looked uncomfortable, “I'd rather sleep in your room if that's okay.”

Thanos was surprised but tried not to show it.

“Very well, I.S.A.A.C will prepare a place for you to sleep in in my room, I.S.A.A.C?” Thanos directed the last bit at the ceiling and the A.I answered immediately.

“I will arrange for it straight away, any special requests sir Adam?”

“Uh, nothing really,” he responded and was met with an affirmation from I.S.A.A.C who went quiet after that.

“We'll have to think of a strategy tomorrow and I'll need to know everything you know about the Hive, Magus and Goddess,” Thanos said, wiping his fingers clean on a napkin.

“I wasn't let in on anything outside of training and my father refuses to tell me anything, saying it's better for me if I don't know.”

“Any information you have is going to be valuable. If you're done we should head to my room. It's already late and we need to be rested for tomorrow.”

When they reached the room I.S.A.A.C had made a bed for Adam on the floor, it was a simple mattress but it was more than enough for him.

Adam shot a thank you to the ceiling and pulled the covers aside and lay down. They settled to sleep in silence and Thanos didn't fall asleep until after Adam's breathing had slowed to a steady rhythm.

Thanos was a light sleeper to begin with, but now with the situation at hand he was even more so. That's why he immediately woke up when the familiar hum of the building fell silent.

“I.S.A.A.C?” Thanos tried but was only met with silence.

Adam had woken up and was now looking at Thanos who hurried to his table to turn on the computers.

“I.S.A.A.C?” he tried again and his chest filled with dread when he couldn't turn the power on.

“Thanos?” Adam asked worriedly, rising up and walking to Thanos's side.

“I.S.A.A.C is not responding, he has an outside power source in case of power outage but someone has managed to turn that off as well,” Thanos rose up, “Get dressed, we need to get out of here.”

He grabbed his pad from the table and threw it in his backpack with few other items, he also strapped a bracelet on his wrist and slowly opened the door, peeking in to the dark hallway that was eerily lit by the pale moonlight shining through the windows.

Thanos stood in the doorway for a moment, listening intently for any possible sounds and when he could hear nothing he motioned for Adam to follow. They moved warily through the corridors and managed all the way to the entrance hall and were almost at the door when they heard a low chuckle behind them.

“Seems like out brother has hired some extra muscle.”

The young man was dressed in royal purple and and his silver hair was up in a bun. Magus, too, looked remarkably like Adam.

“Sadly it won't do him any good,” Goddess emerged from the shadows like a predator, looking calm and lethal.

“Magus and Goddess I presume,” Thanos stated without expecting a reply, “I've heard a lot about you,” His demeanor changed from crouched to upright and relaxed. If he was scared he didn't show it.

Magus ignored Thanos.

“It shows prudence to befriend someone who has the power and resources to get you out of your situation,” Magus grinned wickedly and continued, “I am impressed by how easily you manipulated an emotional response out of someone who seems to hate everyone and everything.”

Thanos's expression changed to one Adam couldn't read.

“So far you haven't shown much hospitality, I.S.A.A.C?” at this the house hummed alive and cold dread filled Thanos's chest when the A.I answered.

“Yes master Magus?”

Before Magus could get out a word in Thanos spoke up.

“I.S.A.A.C, defensive measures, protocol B.” 

His chest constricted when there was no response.

“You might have noticed I.S.A.A.C's loyalties have changed,” Magus inspected his nails casually, “I.S.A.A.C would you please confine our host, I think we need to have a heart to heart.”

Before I.S.A.A.C could answer Thanos had grabbed Adam by the hand and after a few commands to the bracelet on his wrist he had opened a portal and dragged Adam through and as soon as they were on the other side Thanos closed it behind them.

They emerged in the garage, while Adam was taking in his surroundings and trying to calm his beating heart, Thanos had walked to his bike.

“Can you drive it?” Thanos' voice was urgent.

“Yes,” Adam replied, snapping back to reality, climbing on the bike with Thanos right behind him.

At that moment I.S.A.A.C's robotic bodies burst through the door, their hands aimed at the two of them. Thanos knew their in built guns were only designed to stun, something he had argued with Alars, but even getting stunned meant their capture.

“GO!” Thanos hurried Adam, pressing a button on his wrist, opening another portal in front of them. Adam hit the gas and they shot trough it and as soon as they were outside Thanos opened another one before Adam could see where they were.

Without a word Thanos kept doing this over and over again, houses and trees were a blur and Adam had no idea how far they had traveled.

He was starting to feel nauseous when Thanos finally told him to slow down and pull over.

They stopped in the middle of a desert road, there were mountains in the distance and nothing but red ground and rocks around them.

“That should be enough to lose them for now,” Thanos removed his arms from around Adam and straightened his back, “Besides my teleportational device has given all it can and any further use would only damage it.”

Thanos got up and told Adam to do the same. He then climbed in front of the bike and motioned for Adam to hop on the back. Adam didn't protest at all. When on the bike he felt relieved and wrapped his arms tightly around the other boy.

Thanos kicked the bike in gear and they were off again.

“This was quite a turn out,” Goddess sounded calm and collected, stepping up next to her brother.

“Adam's new ally seems to be full of surprises. This might prove to be more interesting than I anticipated,” Magus looked excited and grabbed his sister by the arm.

“Come now, we have a lot of planning to do.”

**Author's Note:**

> the song thanos is singing is 'everything is lost' by maggie eckford.


End file.
